The swimmer who broke Michael Phelps' record for most gold medals
In short: In 2018, Olivia Smoliga achieved a feat once thought impossible for a single competition. By winning every single event she entered at the World Championships, she surpassed a legendary benchmark set by Michael Phelps, securing her place in the record books as an elite master of versatility.
Olivia Smoliga's career is defined by a remarkable ability to transition between different disciplines. While she specializes in backstroke and freestyle, her success is rooted in a high-performance trajectory that began with breaking national high school records in 2012. Her path to success involved hurdles, such as a mononucleosis infection before the 2014 Phillips 66 National Championships, which negatively impacted her performance during that event and the 2015 NCAA tournament.
Despite these hurdles, Smoliga maintained her position on the national team and eventually reached the pinnacle of the sport. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, she secured a gold medal in the 4x100-meter medley relay. However, her most historic performance occurred at the 2018 World Championships in Hangzhou, China. She secured gold in all eight races she entered there, making her the first swimmer of any gender to claim eight or more gold medals at one FINA World Championships. This achievement surpassed the previous mark of seven gold medals previously held by Caeleb Dressel and Michael Phelps.
Smoliga's technical dominance was often displayed in high-pressure moments. During the 2012 FINA Short Course World Championships in Istanbul, she shocked the crowd by securing the 100-meter backstroke gold medal from lane 1, clocking 29.74 for the concluding 50-meter portion. Today, she remains the Guinness World Record holder for the most gold medals won by an individual swimmer at a single FINA World Championships, a testament to her endurance and versatility across multiple swimming styles.
Her path was paved by a rigorous collegiate career at the University of Georgia, where she competed under coach Jack Bauerle. After graduating from high school in 2013, she balanced NCAA competition with international success, eventually representing the Cali Condors in the inaugural International Swimming League in 2019.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Olivia Smoliga
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